Vienna Day 3

First order of the day was switching hotels. We departed the Hilton Vienna Plaza at 11AM. We took the U from Schottenring to Stadt Park and immediately checked in to the Hilton Vienna. We waited in the Executive Lounge while our room as being cleaned. It was totally worth the wait as we received a corner suite!

After getting our room situated we walked through the park back over to Albertina where we began our free walking tour; an extra from yesterday's bus tour.

One of four Lemurheads. The Four Lemurheads were mounted on the bridge (the Stubenbrücke) next to the MAK main building on the occasion of the exhibition Franz West: Merciless in 2001. Although originally planned to remain there for the term of the exhibition only, the four sculptures were given to the MAK as permanent loans and can therefore stay where they are.

Our guide was knowledgeable and helped us to see things we had not seen before. Standing at the Albertina Square we learned that there had been an apartment building at the start of WWII and it had been bombed and everyone perished. They left the square undeveloped and it was considered as a cemetery and would not be built upon.  From there we walked to the Lobkowicz Palace; the largest privately held building in the castle complex. It was the first place that Mozart performed.  From there we walked to the Augustinian Church within the Hopfburg Palace compound; the winter palace of the Hopfburgs.

Hopfburg Palace

We walked by but didn't go into the Austrian National Library and the Spanish Riding School of the Royal Lippanzaner Horses. We walked by the Royal Chapel (Burgkapelle) home to the Vienna Choir Boys. Our tour passed various sites (we didn't go in to but the guide nearly mentioned) to include the Sisi Museum, the rotunda to the entrance of the Imperial Apartments, St. Michael's Square, Römische Ausgrabungen (Roman Ruins).  We walked through the Neuer Markt (New Market) and the inner city and stopped into Demel; a historic candy and bakery restaurant then over to the Pestsäule monument.

Demel chocolate bars

We walked over to St. Stephan's and finished our tour at the Capuchin Church (Imperial Crypt) where the Hofpburg bodies are buried. Their hearts are buried in Augustinian Church; where they married one another (the wedding chapel) and their intestines are buried at St. Stephan's.

Outside of the Musikverein

Our performance we attended

When we finished our tour, Dave and I returned to St. Stephan's and toured a tower containing the original bell.  That finished our day, we returned to the hotel for drinks and snacks and to shower for our Mozart Concert which was held at the Musikverein.

The original bell

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